It will continue to explore the Red Planet, however, for now.
Do a great job
China's Mars rover mission has been completed.
Space.com reports that the Zhurong rover's 90-sol mission to investigate Utopia Planitia, a region on Mars' surface, has ended. The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), however, plans to continue the craft's work at gathering raw data and images of Mars in the hope of discovering an ancient ocean floor.
We hope that by sharing these data with our scientists, we will have a better understanding of Mars' geology and possibly even find evidence of an ancient ocean in Utopia planitia. Liu Jianjun is the chief designer of the Tianwen-1 ground-application system for the CNSA to Chinese state media company CCTV.
Take a Quick Break
Zhurong will need to stop mid-September through October in order to fully explore the surface of Mars. This is because Mars will be away from Earth on the other side of the Sun during this period.
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This is called solar conjunction. All rovers on Mars will be in a temporary safety mode, where they can operate independently but with limited assistance. This includes NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance.
Get into the groove
Zhurong will drive one mile to the edge of the martian feature called a groove after the solar conjunction.
Liu said that researchers will be able to examine the rock compositions in order to gain a better understanding of the geological history.
The CNSA is determined to get as much out of Zhurong as possible, so it's not surprising. It is expensive to build, launch, land, and produce these rovers. It will be worth it if Zhurong finds more evidence of an ancient ocean in Mars.
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READ MORE: China's Mars rover Zhurong finishes primary mission, receives life extension [Space.com]
Zhurong: Chinese Rover Sends Video and Audio Back From Mars
